West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-04-15
THE CHINESE DOCTOR.
A CELESTIAL PHYSICIAN CHATS
WITH A ST. LOUIS REPORTER.
Tho study of Medicine I'm the Central
FIowery Kingdom-Chinese Theory OF
Medicine-The Ruling spirit-Circula-
tion of the Blood.

Flowery Kingdom-Chinese Theory OF
Medicine-The Ruling Spirit-Circula-
ton of the Blood.
Kwong Shang has beenpracticing medicine
now for ten years, and has enected many
wonderful cures. He is modest enough 10 say
that the Mclean physicians know good deal
about medicine and the Ills that nesh Is ner
to. but not as much rs the Chinese demigods,
whose dicta upon medicine have been fol-
lowed unvaryingly for the last 5000 years,
and in which now some 40O,0O0,0O0 OF pig
tailed people have the most implicit and abid-
ing faith. He said that there were many
government and private colleges in China In
which pupils were instructed; that course
in surgery occupied about four years, and in
medicine six years. Before entering medi-
cal college there the pupil had to be well
versed in the Chinese classics, and be well
educated in all things pertaining to religion,
as well as history, manners and customs
Only the most learned men are allowed to in
struct in medicine and to explain the mean
ing Of passages in the books written by sages
in long past centuries.
Tho examination Of pupils was not con-
QuCLcQ III luc Sal1C lAdAi1iCi 60 III eAAAc NSNA
try. The preceptor takes before his pupils
man who has an ailment, and they each IN
turn examine him and determine from his
symptoms what ais him. Then they write
out their findings and state tho disease, Its
causes and its cure, which, If it corresponds
to tho teachings of the books and the profess
sor's understanding of the case, demonstrates
that the pupils are competent to practice
medicine without the risk of being beheaded
as frauds and cheats Thepupil is then given
his diploma, board about half an inch
thick, about six inches wide and eighteen
inches long, on which appears in brass hero
glyphics the statement that the owner IS COM
petent to treat for all outside and inside COM
plants. This diploma is at the same time
the medico's sign, and counterfeit thereof IS
a counterfeit of a legal form, punishable by
the most severe penalties.
THE CELESTIAL THEORY.
According to the celestial theory of medi-
cine, which partakes much OF the nature OF
their theology and philosophy, man is closely
associated with and influenced by the en-
ternal world For instance, there are FIVE
planets, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus and
Mercury, which are supposed to have intiu-
ence over the five viscera, stomach, liver,
heart, lungs and kidneys; that there arc five
elements in man, earth, wood, fire, metal and
water, corresponding with five colors, yellow,
green, red, white and black, and those re-
lated again 20 the five tastes, sweet, sour,
bitter, pungent and salt. The combination
of the blood and the breath, they hold, con-
stitute life, and the withdrawal of one OF
these means death. With all this fanciful
theory there is also woven into the system in
a manner utterly inexpIicable tho belief In
the androgynous nature Of all things, that
everything is part male and part female.
Such thing as experimenting in medicine IS
unknown. Dissecting they hold to be in
human, and vivisection they denounce in I'M
measured terms With this view of these
things it is impossible that the Chinese should
have any surgery beyond perhaps taking of
q mashed limb or cutting out q bullet. They
have sort of an@sthetic not so strong as
chloroform, but it is seldom used for, as
Kwong Shang said:
"What's the use? Man hurts. put him to
sleep. No good. Hurt all the same.n
The heart, according TO Kwong Shang, is
the center Of thought, the brain being, in the
Chinese physiology, but an inferior part of
the man. There Is no chemistry required in
a Chinese doctor Pretty near everything
that comes to hand is medicinal in its nature,
and the Chinese pharmacoppa is as extern
sive as their dictionary would be if they had
one, for no word will express more than one
idea.
The father of Chinese medicine was Shuu
Nong, and he lived about 5000 years ago,
being a sort of emperor or prince or deni-
god. Shun Nong was not made like an or
binary mortal He was TRANSPARENT and
could see right through himself Whenever
anything went wrong with him he just looked
into himself to see what was the matter, and
then took his medicine and marked how the
desc got to the spot. He noted down all his
observations in a book, and from these obser-
vations and his deductions therefrom succeed
ing generations of physicians have never once
departed.
CIRCULATION OF THE BLOOD.
The Chinese believe that the blood is run
ming in the veins, but Kwong Shang could
not agree with the reporter that the blood
was pumped from the heart. He believed
that it was the air, half of the vital princi-
pal, which kept it moving all the time. All
such things as glands, nerves, ducts, ETC.,
which are so prominent in the western physi-
ology, are utterly unknown to the Chinaman
They can know nothing about these things,
because of their opposition to the inhuman
practice of dissection.
Kwong Shangs theory in treating an all
ment is that there are certain channels lead
ing to certain portions of the body, and that
medicine placed in the mouth and swallowed
goes directly through these channels to these
portions One of his medical books, which
he exhibited to the reporter, contained dia-
gram OF q statue called the Brass Man at Pekin,
showing these various channels through which
medicine passes. The channels run across
each other, and through vital parts, with an
absolute disregard of intersections and con-
huency, and the diagram represents plat OF
a mining district with the different claims
running into each other in the most bewilder-
ing fashion. The only method of determining
a patients ailment is by examination OF the
pulse. There are, so said Shung Nong, and
so say all his disciples to this day, twelve
courses through which the pulses run, and
the Office of the pulses is to bring news from
the important portions of the body as to theiI
condition. Each wrist has three pulses, and
each pulse two forms of development. The
Chinese physician occasionally looks at the
patients tongue, but Kwong Shong is certain
that no information could be gained as to the
state of a patients lungs by listening at the
breast It is quite feature of practice to
diet patients, and the failure of the patient to
stick to the diet generally results in a row
Globe Democrat Interview.
The Obstinate Lamp Wick.
Sometimes the lamp wick obstinately re-
fuses to be turned up in an orderly manner.
1t will seem firmly wedged at one side, while